Method of and machine for slitting and stacking folded plies of paper web



Dec. 25, 1934.` l.. T. HAND 1,985,676 METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR SLITTING AND STC'KING; FOLDED PLIES OF PAPER WEB.l

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METHQD'UF ANU MACHINE FOR sLIT'ING AN'D STACKING FoLDED PLIES oF PAPER wBB original F i1ed Jan. 28, 1935 5 sheets-sheet 2 ef gig 11F l if 1 6 M J v w l 5 56 l 1 5 1 '111:1" 67 1.53 5611i! ||1 1 11H y e i j l |||1|1111 1 1 |55 1 hun g v Q l l I 1 l I 1" 1 l mi! '7g 75 l 1111-111 1 '4 @m i i 1 77 Y I' 2 'Il I 76 INVENTOR 5g Zes/ie Zalu 46 BY ATTORNEY Dec. 2 5, 1934. L. T. HAND f 1,985,676

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR SLITTING AND STACKING FOLDED PLIES OF PAPER WEB original Filed Jan. 28, 195s 5 sheets-sheet 3 1 ATTORNEY Dec; 25, 1934. L. T. HAND 1,985,616

vMETHOD OF' ANDHACHINE FOR SLITTNG ND STACKING FOLDED PLIES OF PAPER WEB Original Filed Jan. 28, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR ZeIzzZHand f ATTORNEY L. T. HAND 1,985,676

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR SLITING ND STACKING FOLDED PLIES OF PAPER WEB Dec. 25, 1934.

Original Filed Jan. 28, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEY- OH FULDINM.

Patented Dec. 25, 1934 UNITED STATES METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR SLITTING AND STACKING FOLDED PLIES OF PAPER WEB Leslie T. Hand,

Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application January 2s, 193s, serial No. 654,00

Renewed September 11, 1934 Claims.

In the art of creasing and folding webs of paper for the production of stacks thereof, in strip form; for use as tape in telegraphic recording instruments and the like, which art is defined in 5 United States Patents Nos. 1,718,743 and 1,747,719,

it has been found desirable to provide means, in-

cluded in the machine, for stacking the folded plies, to increase the' height of the stack beyond that heretofore available, in order that such increased height may comprise a larger number of plies and hence provide greater length in the ultimate tape product.

The machine forming the subject matter of Patent No. 1,747,719 produces a stack of folded web whose height is necessarily limited because the stack supporting table is in fixed relation to the web creasing means, which deliver the web in alternate, opposite angles, the degree of angularity for the pendent fold imposing a limitation upon the extent of the space separating the table and the delivery means, and consequently the height of the stack that can be built up on the table.

Hence my present invention has as one of its objects the provision of means for varying the height of the stack supporting table, to the end that it may be lowered away from the web creasing and delivery means as the height of the stack grows, whilst maintaining a. suitable constant spacing between the top of the stack and the delivery means.

In one form of table height variation included in this application manual control means are provided.

35. Also my invention includes the provision of rotating helicoidal members, disposed at opposite sides of the web stack and adapted to engage the successive folds of the descending web as they alight upon the stack, alternately at opposite 4,0E sides thereof, for compacting the stack.

Since the tendency, in stacking a number of plies of paper web upon a flat support, is to create a concave curvature in the stack between the folded edges, I aim to relieve this tendency by according the supporting table a convex curvature, which enables the stack to grow to a considerable height in reaching the point where the top surface of the stack is fiat, and enables the stack to grow in height beyond that point before developing such surface concavity as to prevent further efficient upbuilding.

Still another object of my invention is to provide means for non-separatingly slitting the web of paper or the like into tape widths prior to delivering the web, in fold plies, on to the stacking table, the junctions remaining between the tapes being of so slight a character that stacks of tape can be broken apart with the greatest ease.

This non-separating, slitting operation is performed by the use of circular knives, each having 5 a nick in its cutting edge, the nick leaving a tiny link of web between the otherwise severed tapes, thus enabling the web as a whole to be applied in stack formation.

Other features and advantages of my invention 10 will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings:

' Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying my improved means for the stacking of plies of web upon a table that is manually adjusta- 15 ble as to its height, and including means for nonseparatingly slitting the web into tape widths.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a partial web stack which .is the product of the machine.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged partial view in side sec- 20 tion of the machine showing the web slitting means, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of Fig. 3, it being a cross section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a further enlarged side sectional view 25 of a portion of Fig. 3, showing in particular the mount for the circular cutter.

Fig. 6 is a cross section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a cross section taken on the line 7-7 30 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a detail view, being a horizontal section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the machine, partly in section, including modified table height con- 35 trol means that function automatically, and with web fold compacting means.

Fig. 10 is a top plan view, partly in horizontal section on the line 10-10 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 1l is a cross section taken on the line 11-11 40 of Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the web fold compacting means.

Fig. 13 is a cross section taken on the line 13-13 of Fig. 10, and 45 Fig. 14 is a cross section taken on the line 14-14 of Fig. 10.

Describing first the mechanism and product disclosed in Figs. 1 to 8; let 1 indicate the machine base, which may be in the form of parallel, 50 spaced members bearing that numeral, and let 2 indicate a frame composed of vertical members forming a rectangle, the upper part of said frame having its vertical members connected by the horizontal beam members 3.

As in Patent No. 1,747,719, shafts 4, 5 are journalled in bearings mounted on the beams 3, said shafts carrying the rollers 6, 7 that are disposed in horizontal parallelism, their opposed surfaces being in juxtaposed relation and adapted for the passage therebetween of the web 8 which is supplied thereto from a source as will be described hereinafter.

The rollers 6, 7 are provided with web indenting means 9, and are rotated oppositely by the intermeshing gears 10, 11, the drive means being by way of a pulley wheel 12 that is driven by a belt 13 as from a motor 14, said pulley wheel being shown as having a pinion 15 that is in mesh with the gear 10, all these elements being found in Patent No. 1,747,719.

One of the novel elements comprised in this invention consists in means for adjusting the height of the stack supporting table 16, which table is located beneath the rollers 6, 7 and positioned in spaced relation therefrom suitable for the indented folds of the web leaving said rollers to fall upon its surface. Obviously as a stack composed of web plies grows upon the table the space separating the upper surface of the stack and rollers 6, 7 diminishes, and therefore it becomes necessary to lower the table in order to maintain the same spacing relation. To this end I have shown table 16 as carried by guide members 17 that are slidable upon vertical members 18 secured at opposite sides of the frame. The table is supported by flexible connectors, here shown as sprocket chains 19, engaged with the table at opposite sides thereof, these chains being passed over idlers 20, and sprocket wheels 2l carried by a shaft 22 that is mounted on the frame, said chains depending below sprockets 21. As means for operating the sprockets 21 and chains 19 I provide a sprocket 23 which is mounted on a frame member 2 beneath one of the sprockets 21, and the chain 19 which is passed over said sprocket, is carried beneath it in order that it may be passed over sprocket 23 and engaged therewith, so that the rotation of sprocket 23 will initiate the movement of the chains and hence control the vertical travel of the table. Whilst as stated the chains at one end are pendent, they are connected at their other ends to the table as by means of eyebolts 24 or the like secured to the table.

As means for rotating the sprocket 23 the shaft 25 thereof is shown as carrying a worm gear 26, with which is engaged a worm threaded member 27, suitably journalled and having a handle 28 whereby it may be turned by hand, to in this manner raise and lower the table.

As shown in Fig. l the machine base is extended forwardly and supports a standard 29, having a bracket 30 that carries a spool 31 upon which the web of paper 8, of suitable width and considerable length, is wound, this web passing from the spool, around an idle roller 32, and being guided by way of a roller 33 to an advanced web engaging roller 34, whose forward surface presents the web to the slitting action of a circular knife 53 (see Figs. 3 and 4). The web leaving the roller 34 passes under a roller 36 and then passes to a more rearward roller 37, over whose surface it depends in a loop 8', whose upwardly directed portion is carried over idlers 38, journalled in fixed standards 39, and thence passes over an idler 40 journalled in vertical frame members 2, whence it passes to a roller 41, to be thus vertically positioned for passing between the rollers 6, 7.

Resting upon the web 8, above roller 37 iS a roller 42, which is journalled in links 43 that are pivoted to the frame uprights 39, whereby said roller imposes its weight against the web, thereby supplying suiiicient tension at this point to exert the draft upon spool 31. Also a weight in the form of a roll 44 is placed in the loop 8 to further tension the web in its passage to the point of its gripped engagement between the rollers 6, 7.

The means for feeding the web 8 to the rollers 6, 7 are here shown for example as comprising these instrumentalities: The shaft 45 which carries the roller 34-also carries a pulley 46, which latter is connected, as by a belt 47, with a pulley 48 that is carried by a shaft 49, suitably journalled to the frame 29, said shaft 49 also carrying a sprocket wheel 50 which is engaged by a sprocket chain 51 and said chain also engages a sprocket wheel 52 that is revoluble with the roller 41. Hence, the roller 34 aids the feed movement of the web, and itself receives motion from the motor 14 through the intermediary train referred to. Pulleys A and B, which are connected by a belt C, actually initiate the feed movement of the web, as pulley A is fixed on shaft 45, this transmission being effected by reason of the gripping action of roller 42 on roller 37.

It having been found desirable to slit the web into narrow or tape like widths in the process of feeding the web to the place where it is to be given folds and piled in plies upon the table, whilst maintaining the integrated width of said web, therefore I employ cutting means in the form of the circular knives 53, mounted in suitably spaced relation and adapted to be held opposed to the roller 34, in contacting relation with the web passing thereover, so that said knives will slit the web whilst they are caused to rotate by such contact.

In order that the slit webs may not have the thus formed tape widths separated from the web each knife 53 is provided with a nick 54 in its edge to thereby leave a series of connecting links that unite the tape widths in the web, but whose connecting hold is so slight that piles of tape may readily be detached from a formed stack of web plies.

As shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the knives 53 are mounted on shafts 55 which are fixed in members 56, that are slidably adjustable longitudinally upon members 57, which themselves are slidably adjustable laterally upon a bracket 58, a shaft 59 pivotally connecting said bracket to the frame 29. A scale bar X, supported above the knives 53, permits their accurate lateral adjustment for desired tape widths.

Each member 56 has a vertical aperture 60 therethrough, in which is placed a screw 61 that engages a threaded orifice 62 in member 57, a spring 63 bridging aperture 60 on the top surface of member 56 and engaging under the head of screw 61 to tensionally hold member 56 upon member 57, suiiicient clearance for screw 61 in aperture being provided to permit longitudinal adjustment of member 56.

A longitudinal, threaded orifice 64 is provided in member 56, and a bolt 65 that is passed freely through an aligned orifice 66 formed in a vertical, rearward extension 67 of member 57, is engaged in said orifice 64, the extension 67 being in spaced relation to member 57, and a spring 68 intermediate extension 67 and member 56 urges the knife 53, with appropriately adjusted tension. against the web 8 upon the opposed surface of roller 34.

'Ihe longitudinal adjustment means for the individual knives described enables them to be ap- 'zi/o. 11.

Us manine.

plied to the web upon roller 34 with desirable tension.

Lateral adjustment for the knife holding members 56, 57 is provided for in this manner: The member 57, which is seated upon the top surface of bracket 58, has a rearwardly inclined lip 69 that engages slidably under a forwardly projecting lip 70 on the said bracket.

A screw plug 71, threaded in a longitudinal orice 72 formed through a rearward, depending portion of bracket 58, has a projecting pin 74 that is adapted to be seated in a socket 75 in member 58 to bind said member 57 in a laterally adjusted position.

As appears in Fig. 4 the series of knives 53 there shown are spaced apart different distances. The spaced relation is intended to indicate that the knives may be so spaced apart as to produce suitable widths of tape, in the slitting of the web, according to the requirements. Thus, when the carriers 57 have been adjusted laterally to provide a width such as have been designated for the tapes, then the screw plugs 71, which had been loosened to permit the adjustment, are to be tightened up.

The bracket 58, which carries all the members 57, itself is mounted on the shaft 59, said shaft being oscillable in bearings provided in the frame 29, one end of said shaft having threaded engagement with its bearing at one side of the frame, and the other end of said shaft having a handle 76 for turning said shaft, to clamp the bracket 58 between the members of frame 29.

The bracket 58 is provided with a handle 77 which carries a lever 78 that is pivoted thereto at 79, said lever having near one end a projecting stud 80 which is normally urged, by a spring 81, into engagement with a hole 82 formed in frame 29 to hold the bracket in its operative position (see Figs. 3 and 4). When the stud 80 has been released the bracket, together with members 57, 56 and the knives carried thereby, can be swung about shaft 59 to thereby remove the knives away from contact with the web and roller 34. In Fig. 3 the knives and associated elements are shown in full lines in operative position, the handle 77 appearing in dot and dash lines, and said elements are shown in dot and dash lines in the removed position, the handle appearing in dotted lines.

In the modification of my invention illustrated in Figs. 9 to 14 I have shown a series of web carrying spools 83, 84, 85 arranged in staggered relation upon successive shafts 86, 87, 88 respectively, the purpose being to provide in a machine frame of sufficient width, for a plurality of stacks of web, in folded plies thereof, produced in one operation of the machine. I have found it desirable to stagger the supply spools, for the reason that if all were on one shaft it would be difficult to suitably tension the separate webs, and, furthermore, it may be desired at times to operate less than the full number of webs.

In the example of Figs. 9 and 10 the web 8 is shown as taking the same course as in the example of Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and the instrumentalities governing its tensioning and slitting have been given the same reference numerals. Obviously all the webs in this modified form of my invention may be slitted in the same manner as web 8, or they may be passed into separate stacks either slit or unslit.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 9 the webs 89, 90, which respectively emanate from spools 84, 85, are caused to pass over an idler 91, thence under three separate web supplies are represented, in l0 consequence three stacks of plies will. be formed, and they are piled up on a common table indicated at 102, the stacks being separated, and guided laterally in their upbuilding by means of pairs of vertical posts 103 that depend from longitudinal l5' members 104-which are secured to transverse' channels 105, said channels being bolted to the frame members 3. Also, longitudinal frame members 106 support transverse channels 107 that are spaced vertically from channels 105, and pairs 20 of vertical guide members 108 that extend upwardly from channels 107, serve to confine th stacks endwise thereof.

The table 102, which is here shown as having a convex surface, for the reason set forth in the 25.1

preamble to the detailed description, is provided with means for its automatic vertical movement, so that it may descend as the stack of web plies grows, it being necessary that the guides 103 and 108 shall function only with respect to the plies at 30'` the upper portion of the stack. When the table is in its uppermost position, as shown in Fig. 9, for the initial formation of the stack thereon, the posts 103 are entered through holes provided therefor in the table. Obviously, as the table de- 35- scends below the guide members 103, 108 they will continue their function of confining the successively formed upper portions of the stack, which stack is continuously under subjection of compacting influences, as will appear herein- 4d after.

Sprocket chains 109 are connected, as at 110, with the table 102, at opposite sides thereof, said table having guide members 111 that are slidable on fixed vertical members 112, are passed over 45- idlers 113, and thence over sprockets 114 and 115 which are journalled upon a vertical frame member 116, these chains depending at their free ends from the sprockets 115. 'Ihe sprocket 115 at one side of the frame carries a worm gear 117, with 50',

which a worm threaded member 118 is engaged, said member 118 carrying a worm gear 119 that engages a worm threaded member 120, which is journalled in a fixed bearing 121 and itself carries a pulley 122. This pulley 122 is connected by 55,

a belt 123 with a pulley 124 that is carried by the shaft 125 which carries the roller 100, and hence the chains 109 are operated to lower the table 102 by the operation of the indenting rollers 100, 101.

The gear ratio for the operation of the table sup- 60 porting chains is such as to permit the table to be lowered at a rate of travel which will maintain an equal distance between the top of the growing stack and the points of web indentation on rollers 100, 101, whence the web folds fall an- 65 gularly upon said stack, so that the table descent may synchronize in its speed of movement with( the growing height of the stack on said table.

As means for compacting the folds of web forrning the stack I provide for each stack, a pair of 70 helicoidal members 126, disposed respectively at opposite ends of the plies, and adapted to engage the falling folds, in succession, to press them upon the stack.

These helicoidal members, which are composed 75 of stiff wire, each has its ends 127 bent to lie in a common vertical axis through the member, said ends respectively being `iournalled in the channels 105, 107, so that the member may rotate about a vertical axis. The members 126 of each pair are caused to be rotated oppositely, turning in the directions indicated by the arrows in Fig.

As the driving means sprocket chains 128 are shown, engaging sprocket wheels 129 carried by the upper ends 127 of the helicoidal members, said chains also engaging a sprocket wheel 130 whose shaft is journalled in the channel 105, and which carries a bevel gear 131 (see Fig. 13) with which is meshed a bevel gear 132 whose shaft, that is suitably journalled, carries a sprocket wheel 133. Corresponding members of the helicoidal pairs, yas shown in Fig. 13, are connected by a single ,chain 128; and in Fig. 14 appears similar gear and chain equipment for the other members of the helicoidal pairs, excepting that here the bevel gear 132' is oppositely related to the bevel gear 131 to drive those other members of the helicoidal pairs in the opposite direction.

The sprockets 133 are driven by a chain 134 which also engages a sprocket 135 carried by the shaft 136 that carries the roller 101, a fixed idler 137 also engaging the chain to afford ample draft effect thereto.

Due to the positioning of the helicoidal members, in pairs, at opposite sides of, and above the stack of web plies, it will be apparent that a fold of the web in falling toward the stack alights first on an upper coil of its adjacent helicoidal member, and said member, in rotating, worms the fold downwardly until said fold is brought under the lowermost convolution, which presses or compacts it on the top of the stack to which it is added.

In the partial view of a stack of folded web shown in Fig. 2, and in Fig. 4, the lines Y indicate the slits produced therein by the circular knives 53, and at Z there appear the slight connection left in the web by the nick 54 with which each knife is provided.

The art as previously known included no means for severing tape widths from wider widths of web and, as a matter of fact it has not been found practicable to cut through a stack of folded plies of paper web of more than three inches in height in attempting to produce stacks of folded tape.

Nor was it heretofore possible to create stacks of continuous tape, because a web of tape width if allowed to fall in folds in an attempt to build a stack thereof, would be uncontrollable so far as previously existing mechanisms are concerned. Therefore it has remained for me to slit the paper web into tape widths, without separation,

whilst the web is passing through the folding and stacking machine, leaving the tape connections of so slight a character that stacks of tape can readily be broken apart from a web stack of relatively great height.

Variations within the spirit and scope of my invention are equally comprehended by the foregoing disclosure.

1. The method of producing a stack of folded paper web which consists in passing the web from its source to a receiving table, non-separatingly slitting the web into tape widths in its passage, indenting the web to create folds therein, and causing the folded plies to fall successively upon the table to form a stack of continuous web of interconnected tapes.

2. The method of producing a stack of folded paper web which consists in passing the web from its source to a receiving table, non-separatingly slitting the web into tape widths in its passage, indenting the web to create folds therein, causing the folded plies to fall successively upon the table to form a stack of continuous web of interconnected tapes, and moving the table downwardly to maintain a constant height for the top of the stack.

3. In a machine for producing folded tape suitable for use in recording instruments, means for non-separatingly slitting a web longitudinally into tape widths, means for folding the web transversely in zigzag formation, a table for receiving the zigzag folded plies in continuous succession to form a stack, and means for lowering said table at a rate corresponding to that at which the stack of plies increases in height.

4. In a machine for producing folded tape suitable for use in recording instruments, means for non-separatingly slitting the web longitudinally into tape widths, means for folding the web transversely in zigzag formation, a table for receiving the zigzag folded plies in continuous succession to form a stack, means for lowering said table at a rate corresponding to that at which the stack of plies increases in height, and means for compacting the folds of web forming the stack.

5. In a machine for producing folded tape suitable for use in recording instruments, means for non-separatingly slitting the web longitudinally into tape widths, means for folding the web transversely in zigzag formation, a table for receiving the zigzag folded plies in continuous succession to form a stack, means for lowering said table at a rate corresponding to that at which the stack of plies increases in height, and means for laterally confining the stack in its upbuilding.

LESLIE T. HAND. 

